ai4bharat/Pralekha huggingface dataset:
Ministry of Railways
Indian Railways offers 50% concession for Youth participating in the “Ek Bharat Shrestha Bharat” programme
In order to facilitate the travel of youth participants of “Ek Bharat Shrestha Bharat” program, Indian Railways has decided to grant 50% concession in basic fares of Second/Sleeper Class to youths with earnings/emoluments of not more than Rs.5000/- per month for travelling from one State to another State to take part in ‘Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat’ programme. This concession has been granted as a special case and it is admissible only in the normal train services and not for booking of Special Trains/Coaches.
The concessional return journey tickets may also be issued on payment of one single journey fares of Second/Sleeper class Mail/Express fares to persons travelling more than 300 Kms from the journey commencing station to the station serving the place of the Festival.
This concession will be provided on production of requisite certificate in the prescribed railway format from the Secretary of concerned Department of Human Resource Development of various States. The intending participants are required to submit the certificate to the authorized officers of the Railway concerned, namely the Chief Commercial Manager, the Divisional Commercial Manager etc. who will issue them the concession orders on presentation of which only the Station Master will allow the concession to them.
Certificates will not be issued to those whose travelling expenses are to be borne by the Central or State Government or a local body or statutory or a Corporation or a Government Undertaking or a University.
It may also be noted that supplementary charges, reservation charges and other applicable charges etc shall be levied in full for both directions.
Principal Chief Commercial Manager of the concerned Zonal Railways may be approached for any complaint in regard to grant of concession.
Ministry of Food Processing Industries
Contribution of FPI to the GDP
During the last 5 years ending 2019-20, Gross Value Added  in Food Processing Industries  sector has been growing at an Average Annual Growth Rate  of around 11.18 per cent. The GVA  in food processing sector for last five years are as under:

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2015-16
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2016-17
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2017-18
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2018-19
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2019-20
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GVA-FPI
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1.61
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1.79
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1.93
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2.32
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2.24
Source: National Accounts Division, Central Statistics Office,
Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation publishes data for registered manufacturing sector including food processing. As per the latest Annual Survey of Industries  2018-19, there were 40,579 food processing units in the registered sector. The ASI data do not give segregated data for big, medium, small, tiny units or details of multi-national corporations .
The M/o SPI, through a national survey, collected data for unincorporated  enterprises for the year 2015-16. As per this latest National Sample Survey , there were 24.59 lakh food processing enterprises in the unregistered segment out of which 93.6 % were in the micro category, 5.7% in the small category and remaining 0.7% in the medium category.
The Ministry is implementing a Central Sector Scheme – Pradhan Mantri Kisan SAMPADA Yojana  for overall development of the food processing sector including increasing the processing capacity, reducing wastage of agricultural produce, creating off-farm employment, ensuring better returns to farmers etc. Major component schemes under PMKSY include Mega Food Park, Agro-Processing Clusters, Integrated Cold Chain, Creation/Expansion of Food Processing and Preservation Capacities  and Backward & Forward Linkages. Similarly, for upgrading/formalizing unorganized micro sector units, the PM Formalization of Micro Food Processing Enterprises  scheme is being implemented since June 2020. A Production Linked Incentive  scheme has also been rolled out for creating global food champions.
This information was given by Minister of State for M/o Food Processing Industries, Shri Prahlad Singh Patel in a written reply in Lok Sabha today
President's Secretariat
President of India to visit Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh from July 25 to 28
The President of India, Shri Ram Nath Kovind, will visit Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh from July 25 to 28, 2021.
On July 26, 2021, the President will pay homage to the indomitable courage and sacrifice of the Indian Armed Forces during the Kargil Conflict in 1999 at the Kargil War Memorial Dras  on the 22nd Anniversary of the Kargil Vijay Diwas.
On July 27, 2021, the President will grace and address the 19th Annual Convocation of the University of Kashmir in Srinagar.
Ministry of Defence
Raksha Mantri Shri Rajnath Singh and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Shri Yogi Adityanath review preparations for DefExpo 2020 in the first Apex Committee meeting
Raksha Mantri Shri Rajnath Singh chaired the first meeting of the Apex Committee for DefExpo 2020 here today, in the presence of Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh Shri Yogi Adityanath. The huge exhibition that will showcase India’s Defence manufacturing capabilities as well as world’s top defence manufacturing companies would be held for the first time in Lucknow from 05 – 08 February, 2020.
Reviewing the planning and arrangements for the event, Raksha Mantri said that the DefExpo would give a great fillip to investments being sought for the defence corridor in Uttar Pradesh. He recalled that during his recent visit to South Korea, several Korean companies have expressed interest to invest in Uttar Pradesh.
Shri Rajnath Singh expressed confidence that UP State government would extend full cooperation for the successful conduct of the event. Nearly 300 acres land has already been identified by the UP Government for the event.
Lauding the successful conduct of Investors’ Summit and PravasiBharatiya Divas earlier by the UP Government led by Chief Minister Shri Yogi Adityanath, Shri Rajnath Singh said that DefExpo “would also be a shining example for future such events”.
Shri Yogi Adityanath assured full support of his government to Ministry of Defence for the successful conduct of DefExpo 2020. Terming it as a matter of pride to host DefExpo 2020, Shri Yogi Adityanath thanked the Government of India for choosing Lucknow as venue for the prestigious event. He said the site leveling work is going on at present and the site would be handed over by the end of this month. Shri Yogi Adityanath said a land bank of 3,000 acres is available for companies desirous to invest in Uttar Pradesh and assured them of all necessary cooperation.
During the meeting, officials gave a briefing on various responsibilities to be handled by various departments.
DefExpo India 2020 Brochure was also released on the occasion. An MoU outlining roles and responsibilities of various stakeholders was signed and exchanged between the officials of Ministry of Defence and Uttar Pradesh Government.
Raksha Rajya Mantri Shri Shripad Naik, Chief of Army Staff General Bipin Rawat, Chief of Naval Staff Admiral Karambir Singh, Defence Secretary Dr Ajay Kumar, Secretary  Shri Subhash Chandra, Secretary  Smt Gargi Kaul, Secretary, Department of Defence R&D and Chairman, DRDO Dr. G Satheesh Reddy and other senior officials of Ministry of Defence , Chief Secretary of Government of Uttar Pradesh, and Hindustan Aeronautics Limited - the nodal agency of the event attended the meeting.
The 11th edition of DefExpo 2020, the premier Defence Exhibition conducted under the aegis of MoD, will highlight the logo depicting ‘India - The Emerging Defence Manufacturing Hub’. The theme for the event is, ‘Digital Transformation of Defence’.
ABB/Nampi/Savvy/MTJ/ADA
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Ministry of Health and Family Welfare
India scales another peak with Recovery Rate leaping past 85%
Recovered Cases exceed Active Cases by more than 48 lakhs
18 States/UTs report Recovery Rate more than National Average
India has crossed a significant milestone. The national recovery rate has jumped past 85% today with the continuous streak of high number of recovered cases being reported in the past few weeks. The recovered cases have exceeded the new confirmed again during the past 24 hours.
82,203 recoveries have been registered in the last 24 hours in the country while the number of new confirmed cases stands at 72,049. The total number of recoveries has touched 57,44,693. This has bolstered and sustained India’s global position at the country with the maximum number of recoveries.
The sustained high levels of recoveries have led to further widening of the gap between active and recovered cases. Recovered cases exceed the active cases  by more than 48 lakh . The recovered cases are 6.32 times the active cases ensuring that the recoveries are consistently rising.
The active caseload of the country has further slid to 13.44% of the total positive cases and is consistently declining.
Matching the rise in the national figure, 18 States/UTs have Recovery Rate more than the national average.
75% of the new recovered cases are being reported from ten States, viz. Maharashtra, Karnataka Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Uttar Pradesh, Odisha, Chhattisgarh, West Bengal and Delhi.
Maharashtra is topping the list with nearly 17,000 recoveries while Karnataka contribute more than 10,000 to the single day recoveries.
A total of 72,049 new cases have been reported in the last 24 hours in the country.
10 States/UTs account for 78% of the new confirmed cases.
Maharashtra continues to lead this tally. It has contributed more than 12,000 followed by Karnataka with nearly 10,000 cases.
986 deaths have been reported across the country in the past 24 hours.
10 States/UTs account for 83% of the deaths in the last 24 hours due to COVID.
Of the new fatalities, Maharashtra reported more than 37% of deaths with 370 deaths followed by Karnataka with 91 deaths.
The months of October to December are time for festivities that witness gatherings of large number of people in specified locations for religious worship, fairs, rallies, exhibitions, cultural functions, processions etc. These events may last a day or a week or more. To prevent spread of COVID-19 infection, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has released Standard Operating Procedures on preventive measures to contain spread of COVID-19 during the festivities. These can be accessed at:
https://www.mohfw.gov.in/pdf/StandardOperatingProceduresonpreventivemeasurestocontainspreadofCOVID19duringfestivities.pdf
Ministry of Health and Family Welfare
Union Health Ministry deputes team of doctors to support Manipur’s public Health Efforts
Teams consist of doctors from AIIMS Kalyani, AIIMS Guwahati and NEIGRIMS Shillong
Deputed doctors specialize in surgery, psychiatry, medicine, obs & gynecology, pediatric, urology and emergency care
Ministry of Health, under the direction of Union Health Minister Dr Mansukh Mandaviya has deployed several teams of doctors to Manipur with immediate effect.
Six teams of doctors, with four doctors each specialising in surgery, psychiatry, medicine, obs & gynecology, pediatric, urology and emergency care will support the state to provide health facilities, that have been adversely impacted due to the ongoing strife in the State.
The teams consist of doctors from AIIMS Kalyani, AIIMS Guwahati and NEIGRIMS Shillong.
Ministry of Defence
'SOUTHERN AIR COMMAND COMMANDERS' CONFERENCE
Air Chief Marshal RKS Bhadauria PVSM AVSM VM ADC, CAS visited Thiruvananthapuram on 15 & 16 July 2021 for Southern Air Command  Commanders' Conference.
Air Marshal Manavendra Singh AVSM VrC VSM, AOC-in-C SAC received the CAS on his arrival and briefed him on the status of operational preparedness of the Command. In his address to SAC Commanders, CAS re-iterated the need for IAF to remain ever ready for fulfilling its operational mandate. He appreciated the efforts of SAC in fast tracking numerous infrastructure initiatives and undertaking tasks of operational significance within its Area of Responsibility. CAS also expressed his satisfaction at the swift operationalisation achieved by newly inducted assets particularly the LCA Tejas and Su-30 MKI squadrons.
Ministry of Petroleum & Natural Gas
Two institutes setup by the Ministry to create a pool of experts in the Oil and Gas sector
The Minister of State for Petroleum and Natural Gas, Shri Rameswar Teli in a written reply to a question in the Lok Sabha today informed that the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas has set up two institutes which have courses at Diploma/ Under Graduate/ Post Graduate level in Petroleum Engineering and Chemical Engineering, to create a pool of experts in the Oil and Gas sector. The Rajiv Gandhi Institute of Petroleum Technology , Jais, Amethi, Uttar Pradesh, has two other campuses at Sivasagar, Assam & Bengaluru, Karnataka, whereas Indian Institute of Petroleum & Energy  has one campus at Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh.
In addition, institutes all over the country such as Indian Institutes of Technology at Bombay, Madras, Dhanbad, etc. and other Universities have courses on Petroleum Engineering and Technology. Scientific institutes such as Council of Scientific and Industrial Research-Indian Institute of Petroleum have training/ faculty on Oil and Gas Sector and Oil and Gas PSUs have their own training facilities/ institutions in various parts of the country which also help build/ create a pool of experts in the Oil and Gas Sector in the country.
Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports
Major Dhyan Chand National Stadium to get 6 world-class squash courts; Foundation stone laid by Union Minister of External Affairs in presence of Shri Kiren Rijiju
Union Minister of External Affairs Dr. S. Jaishankar laid the foundation stone of 6 squash courts at Major Dhyan Chand National Stadium in the presence of Union Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports Shri Kiren Rijiju in New Delhi today.
The Chief Guest, Dr. Shri S. Jaishankar who is himself a sports enthusiast and an avid squash player hailed the project and said he looks forward to coming and playing squash at the facility once it is ready. He said, “India has tremendous sporting talent, it has able and enthusiastic coaches who would give time to building that talent. What was missing was the place where the talent could meet the coaches. I am sure this will be a model facility and moreover a catalyst to see many more facilities come up. We have to democratise sport, it must not be a privilege. Most of the sports in which we have done well is because it has been democratised. I hope in the case of squash it is one step in that direction.”
The project has been sanctioned at a cost of Rs. 5.52 crores across an area of 750 square metres and has an estimated completion time of 6 months. The facility will have 6 single squash courts, of which 3 courts can be converted as doubles courts using movable walls.
Sports Minister Shri Kiren Rijiju said that this new facility is going to produce world champions. He said, “To have a space in the National Stadium itself has its own significance. To have a space in this complex will give an edge to that facility. This 6 court squash facility is not only going to be World-class but also a Centre of Excellence where we will be producing world champions and I am sure upcoming budding players will take maximum benefit of this centre. Our effort is that players should not have to look around for facilities, we will provide them the facilities.”
Squash has been one of India’s most successful sports at the Asian Games and Commonwealth Games, with the likes of Sourav Ghosal, Dipika Pallikal and Joshna Chinappa winning laurels for the country.
The event was attended by various dignitaries including Shri Sandip Pradhan, Director General, Sports Authority of India; Cyrus Poncha, Secretary General Squash Rackets Federation of India ; Shri Neelesh Shah, Director , NBCC among others.
President's Secretariat
President of India to visit Uttarakhand on November 3 and 4
The President of India, Shri Ram Nath Kovind, will visit Uttarakhand on November 3 and 4, 2018.
On November 3, 2018, the President will inaugurate the first Gyan Kumbh jointly organised by the Higher Education Department of Government of Uttarakhand and the University of Patanjali in Haridwar. On the same day, he will also address the first convocation of AIIMS Rishikesh.
On November 4, 2018, the President will return to New Delhi.
Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment
Rehabilitation of Beggars
The Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment is exploring the possibilities of a scheme for persons engaged in the act of begging which would cover identification, rehabilitation, provision of medical facilities, counselling, education, skill development with the support of State Governments/UTs/Local Urban Bodies and Voluntary Organizations, institutions etc.
The Ministry has released an amount of Rs. 1 Crore in 2017-18, Rs. 50.00 lakh in 2018-19 and Rs.70 Lakh in 2019-20 to National Backward Classes Finance & Development Corporation  for skill development programmes for beggars. The main objective of the proposed Skill Development Training Programme is provision of vocational skills to members of beggars’ community to enable them to start income generating activities of their own or to get gainfully employed. The Corporation has so far conducted skill development training programme for 400 members of beggar’s community in Warehouse Packer, Hand-rolled Aggarbatti making, Hand Embroiderer and also sanctioned skill development training programme for 160 members of beggars’ community in Self-Employed Tailor, Coir Artisans and Asst. Carpenter job role.
In addition to above, this Ministry has also released an amount of Rs. 1 Crore to National Institute of Social Defence  for beggars.
This information was given by Minister of State for Social Justice and Empowerment Shri Rattan Lal Kataria in a written reply in Lok Sabha today.
Prime Minister's Office
PM expresses sadness over loss of lives in explosion in Bhagalpur
The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi has expressed sadness over the loss of lives in explosion in Bhagalpur. The Prime Minister has spoken to Chief Minister, Shri Nitish Kumar on the situation related to this incident and said that the administration is engaged in relief and rescue operations, and all possible assistance is being provided to the victims.
In a tweet, the Prime Minister said;
"बिहार के भागलपुर में धमाके से हुई जनहानि की खबर पीड़ा देने वाली है। मैं घायलों के शीघ्र स्वस्थ होने की कामना करता हूं। घटना से जु़ड़े हालातों पर मुख्यमंत्री @NitishKumar जी से भी बात हुई। प्रशासन राहत और बचाव कार्यों में लगा हुआ है, और पीड़ितों को हर संभव सहायता दी जा रही है।"
Ministry of Defence
CULMINATION OF EXERCISE UDARASHAKTI
The bilateral exercise, Ex UDARASHAKTI between the Indian Air Force  and the Royal Malaysian Air Force  culminated at the RMAF Air Base Kuantan on 16 Aug 2022
Spanning four days, the exercise saw the two Air Forces work in cohesion through a series of complex aerial combat drills in multiple domains and exercise settings. The exercise was characterised by the display of a high degree of professionalism by all participants.
Ex UDARASHAKTI provided both the Air Forces, an opportunity to share each others' best practices. The culmination of the exercise was marked by a traditional closing ceremony and a seven aircraft formation flypast of Su-30MKI & Su-30 MKM aircraft over the air base. The IAF team will now fly to Darwin, Australia to participate in Ex PITCH BLACK-22.
Ministry of Defence
EXERCISE SAMUDRA SHAKTI-23 CONCLUDES
The 4th edition of the Indo-Indonesia bilateral Exercise Samudra Shakti-23 concluded on 19 May 23.
The sea phase held from 17-19 May 2023 witnessed the participation of ASW corvette INS Kavaratti with integral Chetak helicopter and a Dornier Maritime Patrol Aircraft. The Indonesian Navy assets included KRI Sultan Iskandar Muda with integral helicopter Panther and a CN 235 Maritime Patrol Aircraft. A series of complex exercises including tactical manoeuvres, weapon firings, helicopter operations, Air defence and Anti-Submarine warfare exercises were undertaken that enhanced interoperability between the two navies.
The sea phase was preceded by a fruitful harbour phase which saw professional interactions, table top exercises and sports exchanges.
The successful completion of Exercise Samudra Shakti-23, illustrated the strong partnership between India and Indonesia and reaffirmed the commitment of both navies to promote peace and stability in the region through cooperative engagements.
Ministry of Health and Family Welfare
Union Health Secretary writes to Chief Secretary Uttarakhand
Strongly highlights need for stringent measures to control the spread of Covid19 during Kumbh Mela
Shri Rajesh Bhushan, Union Secretary, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has written to Chief Secretary Uttarakhand strongly highlighting the concerns raised by the high level central team in its visit to Uttarakhand and about the need of stringent measures to control the spread of Covid19 during Kumbh Mela.
A high level Central Team led by Director NCDC visited Uttarakhand on 16th-17th March, 2021 to review the medical and public health preparedness measures undertaken by the state for the ongoing Kumbh Mela in Haridwar.
The Union Health Secretary has also observed that currently more than 12 states in India have shown a surge in COVID19 cases during past few weeks, and pilgrims expected to visit Haridwar during the Kumbh Mela could also be from these States. It has been noted that there is a potential of an upsurge in cases in the local population after the auspicious Shahi Snan days during the Kumbh Mela.
The Secretary also noted that as per the report of the Central Team, 10-20 pilgrims and 10-20 locals are being reported positive every day. This positivity rate has the potential to rapidly turning to an upsurge in cases, given the expected large footfall during Kumbh.
The State has been informed that the daily testing numbers reported in Haridwar  are not enough to effectively offset huge number of expected pilgrim footfall. It has been advised that the share of RTPCR tests being conducted at present needs to be significantly increased as per the ICMR guidelines to ensure that the pilgrims and local population is appropriately tested.
The State Government is also advised to undertake the following measures:-
- Follow scruplously the SOPs issued by MoHFW. Display signages to disseminate the main points of these SoPs.
- Increase awareness of self-reporting, especially among local population, in case of symptoms suggestive of COVID-19
- Set up system for generating early warning signals in areas with susceptible population by monitoring trend of ARI/ ILI cases through Emergency Operational Centres.
- Target significantly enhanced testing in potential high transmission areas.
- Continue periodic testing of frontline workers before and after auspicious snan days of the Kumbh.
- Ensure operationalization of adequate critical care treatment facilities.
- Effective risk communication, by using all forms of media platforms, for strict adherence to COVID-appropriate behaviour.
- In case of surge in cases/super spreader events, promptly send samples for genome sequenci ng in consultation with NCDC.
The Union Health Secretary has urged the Uttarakhand government to take a stock of the public health measures being undertaken by the State in consonance with the aforesaid recommendations of the Health Ministry.